emanation's search for something

what was useful to prepare for the baby's arrival

2009-10-15T20:54:00.005+07:00

This is part of an email that I sent to an expecting friend, in hopes that she might find it helpful. Since we're in Thailand, it assumes a warm climate for the newborn :)

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Aside from the big pieces, like the cot, stroller & car seat, and changing table (we got a dresser for it, and it's soooooo nice to have a place you can change the baby without bending down), here are things that we have/found useful:

Baby clothes

5-6 'underclothes' for newborns were enough in those first few months. I preferred the type that opens up in the front (with ties or snaps), rather than onesies that require the shirt to come over the baby's head. Snaps on the bottom are really really useful for diaper changes, and I didn't really find pull-on pants all that useful until our baby started to be able to stand long enough for me to pull the pants on/off.
1-2 sets of newborn clothes that could be worn when going out.
Get more clothes for 3-6 months from the start. Babies outgrow the newborn stuff so quickly.
Sleeping bag: We finally got one, and it's brilliant. It totally alleviates my fears of the baby suffocating in his blankets, and of course protects him from the cold air-con. In Bangkok, I saw some on sale at Emporium; we got ours at IKEA.
Small blankets: Very useful for when we are out and about, or for nap time. In the beginning, we used the cotton ones as swaddling cloths as well.
PJs: We only started using PJs when our son was about 6 months old, mainly to try to get him on a bed-time routine.

Slings/baby carriers
Slings are all the vogue, it seems, but we had a Baby Bjorn baby carrier. It was good because it distributed the weight of the baby on both shoulders and seemed to provide the baby some support, but I found it a bit of a pain to put on.

If there's a next time, I'd be interested in an ERGO Carrier, as those seem to distribute the weight on the hips as well--a major shortcoming of the Baby Bjorn--and provide better spinal support for the baby.

In any case, we kept the carrying time to a minimum because it was simply too hot!

Slings seem (obviously) much simpler to use and my brother loved his for his son. Actually, now I would like to have one just to help me carry my 24-lb son for short distances, like to the car. And I really want to try it for breastfeeding.

Milk & stuff

Breast pump: I have a hand-pump, which works fine, but if you're going back to work and pumping regularly, it's probably worth getting a battery-operated one at least. Nice if it comes as a set in a cooler bag, for easy portability.
Breastmilk freezer bags
Breast pads
Microwave sterilizer for bottles & breast pump, etc. It's a must!
Bottles, of course. But our son didn't like drinking from the bottle, so I have no idea how many one should have... Get a bottle cleaning brush, too, those are handy.
Breastfeeding pillow. Before I got MyBrestFriend, I was in constant pain. This pillow saved me! I also wish I could've gotten a little footrest.

Bath time

Baby bath: We had a very plain basin-like tub, but in Japan, we rented one with a drain on the bottom (easy to let water out), and a little ledge?, where the baby's bottom can rest. That made a serious difference!
1-2 bath towels. In general, having extra towels and blankets can be very useful, aside from bathtime.
Nail clippers. I prefer the scissor type; the regular nail clippers scare the heck out of me!
Thermometer: we got one that you measure the temperature in the ear, and which takes a second.

Other stuff

Cotton "burp" cloths: You can't have enough of them :) I like these big gauzy cloths, rather than the small, handkerchief-sized ones...but you never know what will come in handy.
Baby monitor: It's a bit pricey, but it was fantastic to have the AngelCare monitor that not only passes on sound, but tells us if the baby's breathing. A friend gave us their old one, and it's quite amazing what ease of mind it gives us. We also have a regular one, which we take on trips.

Diapers

Don't get too many of newborn size, as you don't know how big your baby will be upon arrival and how quickly he may outgrow them. Those with 'pee indicators' are awesome (lines in the front that change color when the baby has peed), and I like those with gathers on the top of the backside, to prevent any poo leakage.
Baby wipes: For the first few months, we just wet cotton pads (the square ones were great) with plain water to clean baby's bum, but baby wipes were of course handy when on the road. Larger wipes are easier to use, especially for poo!
Diaper bag: There are a lot of cute ones out there, so it's a perfect item for the gift registry :) They should have plenty of pockets, easy to wash and waterproof...which I would imagine most are.
Portable diaper-changing pad: I got one that you can stick a diaper & wipes into, and which folds up. I saw some cute ones online in the US and some of them come with the diaper bag. Very handy.

Oh, and it's great to have breastfeeding PJs for yourself--you can feed the baby with minimum fuss in the middle of the night.

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what's in a mommy bag?

2009-10-13T21:39:00.001+07:00

Our current 'mommy bag' is a meeting bag that I got at some workshop a few years ago.

It's amazingly unattractive...but surprisingly functional, which sadly gives me no excuse for getting something cuter.

What is in our diaper bag? At 8-months, here's our list:

Diaper changing pad. It's also soooooooooooooo unattractive!! I simply don't understand why the heck they couldn't have produced some in prettier colors or something (well, maybe black was the only ones that made it out to Thailand...and even these were on sale at Central because I guess not many people bought them). But it's very functional and totally worth having.
3-4 disposable diapers. We use cloth at home, but disposables on the road.
1 pack of baby wipes
1 change of clothes for the baby
1 pair of socks and pants, in case we end up in a freezing cold mall or shop.
2 burp cloths (I like the large cotton ones made from gauzy material)
1-2 toys (a rattle, teething ring, stuffed animal...)
1 light cotton blanket
1 spoon & bib for eating solids. The baby's meal goes in a separate cooler bag, which is a bit bulky.
A few breast pads
Cloth shopping bag...just in case!
Breastfeeding cape...but actually, I never really liked it so stopped carrying it altogether.

Features that I would love in a mommy bag:

Lots of pockets inside & out. Mesh pockets on the inside is nice.
Insulated pockets, to put my son's food in.
An outside pocket for my stuff, like keys, wallet, mobile phone, etc.
Comes with diaper changing pad.
Lighter colored inner lining (when it's black, it's hard to see what's inside).
Not too deep (again, it would be hard to see what's inside if it were too deep).

Having browsed around, the one that I'm drooling for now are Ju-Ju-Be's Be All (for daily use) or Be Prepared (for longer trips).

So cute! ♥♥♥

Of course, these don't come all that cheap.

My husband snorted when I told him the price... :p

notice: a temporary? pause in english blogging

2009-08-22T23:18:00.002+07:00

It's pretty obvious, but I haven't been updating this blog for over a year now.

I'm not entirely happy about it, as it has been a kind of policy of mine to not let either my Japanese or English blog fall behind, but things got a bit too busy and it's about all I can do to keep up with one blog.

So!

For the time being, I am officially announcing a halt to this one. I hope that I can still find some time to occasionally update this one...

only large quantities of alcohol allowed

2008-06-18T09:03:00.002+07:00

The sign at the checkout of Tops Supermarket says:

PLEASE NOTE TO COMPLY WITH NATIONAL LAW,
Everyday from 9.00 am - 11.00 am and 2.00 pm - 5.00 pm, Central Food Retail, Tops Market, Tops Super and Tops Daily will temporarily cease all sales of alcoholic beverages except for quantities of 10 liters or more which are exempt from these restrictions and may be purchased at all times by contacting the Customer Service Counter.

Nice to know that the law to restrict alcohol consumption is in fact to discourage too small quantities of alcohol consumption!

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special airport price, 200%

2008-06-17T08:53:00.000+07:00

At the Jakarta International Airport, I went around looking for stamps to send some postcards to Japan.

I finally located some at a bookshop, and the sales lady told us that it was 4,500 rupiah (I think...) to send one card. That was just about all the cash I had left, so I asked for 1 set.

The lady pulled out a calculator and started punching in some numbers. She then turned to us and said,

"That will be 9,000 rupiah."

Huh?

I thought you said it was 4,500?

"Yes, but here it's 9,000 rupiah."

Why??

"It's the airport."

The reply, made with comfortable conviction, left me speechless. What kind of pricing is that and who was the genius who came up with it??? Is anyone so desperate that they would buy them at this rip-off rate???

Of course I didn't buy the stamps and of course the postcards got sent off from Bangkok :p

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rally boom on rajadamnoen

2008-06-13T14:30:00.000+07:00

It's now been 3 weeks since the PAD started their rally on Rajadamnoen Ave.

While some days there have been up to 30,000 demonstrators, the numbers go down to as few as 500-1,000 during the weekdays, and it doesn't seem to reflect a true mass movement.

This is from a while ago, but the demonstrators also seem to have their security branch:

...heavily equipped with slingshots (click to see the bigger photo).

Fortunately, it's been a pretty peaceful rally and there has been no need for them to be used.

On one day, there was another rally going on on Rajadamnoen:

This one seemed to be a strike by private bus companies, protesting against some new regulation about gasoline vs gas use.

Rajadamnoen Ave. is the place to be these days to hang out en masse!

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trying out airlines in indonesia

2008-06-09T18:00:00.004+07:00

For the first time in my life, I missed a flight.

I was on my way to Bali for a singing gig (another first in my life!), when I missed my connecting flight from Jakarta to Bali...entirely by my own fault, not the airline's.

Talk about feeling ridiculous.

What with an all-important rehearsal that night with the client, I had to get to Bali somehow...

...and did so by purchasing a ticket on Batavia Air, which I had never heard of before.

The price of a one-way ticket to Bali was a staggering less-than-US$50.

Considering the not-so-great reputation of aviation safety in Indonesia, taking a random carrier seemed a bit of a risk.

Nonetheless, I was too exhausted and stressed out to consider further and thus headed to the gate with some trepidation and prayers.

In fact, although the plane was a bit old--over 20 years old--it was clean and luckily the flight was smooth and uneventful. I even made it in plenty of time for the rehearsal.

After coming back to BK, I did a little research. Apparently, just over a year ago, Batavia Air was in the lowest rank of meeting Indonesian flight safety standards, but just as of March 2008, had climbed up to the highest category, in the same rank as Garuda Air and Air Asia Indonesia.

Of course, how much faith one places on the Indonesian flight safety standards is another matter, but this means that you're just as well off flying Batavia Air or Air Asia as you would be on the national carrier, Garuda.

Interesting...and a bit scary!

p.s. Here's a picture of Adam Air's office in Denpasar Airport. Adam Air was shut down in 2007 for having poor safety standards.

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demonstrations are a business opportunity

2008-05-27T15:25:00.004+07:00

It's already Day 3 of the demonstration protesting the changes in the Constitution.

The segment of Rajadamnoen Ave. that is occupied by the demonstrators has been closed off to traffic.

The area is full of police officers, but it seems that the rally itself is losing steam.

A row of police officers guard the traffic barricade on Makkawan Bridge, in front of the UN building.

The protesters have set up tents, but the road is empty of people.

Yesterday morning, I was most impressed by the presence of a bunch of vendors who had set up shop along side the road.

They are certainly fast, and sensitive to every possible business opportunity!

Impressively, today there are only a handful of vendors compared to yesterday...which perfectly reflects the much fewer number of protesters who are still hanging in there.

It's the market at a glance.

I wonder where they normally do business...

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fire at the myanmar embassy

2008-05-26T14:47:00.003+07:00

I just read that there was a fire at the Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok.

Apparently, the fire started on the uppermost floor, severely damaged the roof of the building and destroyed a lot of documents. No one was hurt.

The news clip simply stated that:

The embassy closed its visa section.

It can't be just me who couldn't help but wonder whether the embassy actually set fire to its own building, just so as to give it an excuse not to process the visa applications from relief workers waiting to get their clearance.

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alarm in the air

2008-05-23T16:28:00.003+07:00

5 minutes after my Sri Lankan flight took off from Bangkok, alarms went off.

It took me a few seconds to register that it was indeed an alarm coming from the plane itself, and not someone's watch or phone.

We were still smoothly ascending and everyone around me seemed quite calm--much to my bewilderment. In the meantime, I was starting to panic and to wonder whether this was the end for me!

Mercifully, the alarm stopped after what was probably only 10-15 seconds.

There was of course an announcement that followed:

"That was a false alarm. Please disregard."

Huh? That's it?

So much for clarification.

I must say that when it comes to airline announcements, I prefer the more detailed to the minimal. American pilots, in my experience, tend to be the most communicative...which I appreciate!

Not to give the wrong idea regarding the quality and safety of Sri Lankan Airlines, it is ranked in the same class as carriers such as ANA, JAL, British Airways, and Virgin Atlantic. They also served the most delicious vegetarian food on-board... :)

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coat and baggage check

2008-05-20T18:21:00.001+07:00

At the entrance of the castle in Marburg, Germany, there was a coat check, where we had to leave our luggage.

Quite empty, as it was almost closing time.

As we were handing over our bags, I noticed an unusual item that had been checked here:

a baby stroller with the child still in it!

I'm assuming this isn't usual practice for Germans, but I was rather impressed at how peaceful and safe Marburg must be, that the parents feel secure enough in leaving their child at the coat check.

I can't understand why the man working at the check would accept such a charge, though...

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antennaed motorcyclist

2008-05-08T22:23:00.000+07:00

This motorcyclist...

...has special antennae on his head! Just like a Japanese children's hero on TV!

Photo is unfortunately a bit hard to see...I only had my mobile phone.

I wonder if it helps him with his balance or navigation.

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catfish feeding frenzy

2008-05-05T14:00:00.002+07:00

In the vicinity of temples in Thailand, there are often people "making merit" by feeding fish.

Thewet, one of the Express Boat stops, is one such fish-feeding spot, where commuters can buy a big bag of bread crust and toss it to the fish in the river....

...who go on a total feeding frenzy.

You have to be careful not to stand too close, or you'll get splashed by the refreshing Chaophraya River water.

The fish settle down, once the bread stops coming.

I used to think this was interesting, but now, the sight of hundreds of fat catfish bodies slithering writhing jumping over each other just makes me nauseous.

Yuck.

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please check your change before leaving the toilet

2008-05-01T14:07:00.000+07:00

A sign pasted onto the toilet stall door at Phnom Penh Airport seemed a bit out of place:

Here's a closer cut:

Hmm, this was probably intended for the money exchange counter.

Maybe the exchange counter has a sign that says "Please check all your belongings before leaving." Too bad I didn't have time to go over and check!

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fear of flight

2008-04-21T18:52:00.003+07:00

The TVs at my gate at the Bangkok airport were showing an episode of "May Day", a National Geographic channel series on airflight disasters...

The wonderful choice for that day was the Aloha Airlines flight 243 accident.

Dramatic photos of an airplane with its roof cloven off is just what I want to see before boarding my flight...

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unexpected visitor on the 25th floor

2008-04-18T19:44:00.002+07:00

I went to visit M's 25th floor apartment, which is undergoing renovation.

Out of the blue, a parrot--exhausted--appeared on the window sill.

Y saw it arrive and said that it came sideways, and it wasn't much of a flyer.

It was clearly someone's pet, so after giving it some water and a cracker, we took it downstairs to the building manager.

Well, it turns out that pets, including birds, are forbidden in this apartment building (so no one was likely to come downstairs to claim it), and in fact, a similar bird had fallen into the apartment unit next to M's in the past!

...The breeder/owner must live somewhere above or next to these 2 units...

True to Thai form, Y and M decided to look for lottery numbers based on this unusual incident.

Apparently, birds = "6", and they also went for "25" (for the 25th floor), and my age, since it was my first visit to M's place.

I don't know if they won any money, but the bird did find a new home with one of the building guards.

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kingdom of traffic accidents

2008-04-16T16:15:00.003+07:00

The past weekend was New Year in Thailand, Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar...otherwise known as the Water Festival.

Thanks to 2 years of intense participation (cruising on a pick-up truck) in the past, I've had enough of the water fights and can only admire the energy of those who get into the thick of things.

Songkran in Thailand is infamous for the insane number of traffic accidents, deaths and injuries that take place.

According to the Bangkok Post (16 April 2008), between 11-15 April this year, already 276 people died and 3,537 people were injured in traffic accidents.

Of those, approximately 45 percent involved drunk driving and 84 percent involved motorcycles.

Incredibly, these figures don't show any signs of declining from year to year.

It's quite terrifying, watching young motorcyclists sans helmet, obviously drunk, riding in tandem, speeding and weaving in and out of sparse traffic and getting splashed with buckets-full of water...

It just goes to show that in the cheapness of life, Thailand is still a developing country...

The lady seemed quite happy to have her picture taken.
Sawatdii pii mai!

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The one major benefit of Songkran: empty streets, Bangkok without traffic jams!!!! It was lovely to be in a car...
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how to stay cool, giant lizard style

2008-04-11T13:16:00.003+07:00

I was walking down the street near my office, when my friend stopped, stared down the sewage hole, and then looked up at me and grinned.

I couldn't see anything out of ordinary at first, but then upon closer inspection...

...saw the giant lizard!
(...Or, more correctly, a "water monitor". You can just see its long head sticking out of the water here...)

It seems to have found a nice way to cool off in this horribly hot weather.

(The water monitor was quite a bit more visible at first, but when it noticed us staring down at it, it scuttled into the water and just kept its head out to keep an eye on us...)

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wasted cleaning labour

2008-04-10T14:53:00.004+07:00

Japanese food is quite popular in Thailand, and several chain stores offer not-quite-authentic-but-passable Japanese food around town. Zen is one such chain.

We went to the one in Central Pinklao right before closing time, when the waitresses were already starting to clean up.

Would you believe it, the waitresses actually collected all the little soy sauce pots and emptied them into the big bottle, so that they could wash each little pot and put it away.

And if that weren't enough, another waitress collected all the spice bottles, emptied those into a big plastic bag, and whisked them all away...and in this case, it's not even like the bottles were some fancy ceramic thing, they were the original bottles that the spices came in, straight from the shop.

What a complete waste of labour...not to mention unhygienic!

It would make a lot more sense to use that human power and spend it in cleaning the restaurant, which looked worn down and dirty, rather than wasting it on soy sauce and spice bottles!

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not so cold ice cream

2008-04-08T08:26:00.000+07:00

I ordered chocolate ice cream as part of a lunch set at a local Italian restaurant.

After a little while, the waitress reappeared looking apologetic and rather sheepishly said in halting English:

"Sorry...chocolate ice cream...not very cold."

This was very true...a small lump of ice cream peeked out of a thick pond of melted cream.

"Not ice chocolate...cold chocolate!" quipped the cheerful waitress.

Somehow, maybe because I go there fairly often, such things don't surprise nor bother me very much...

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an unfortunate name for a doctor

2008-04-06T15:42:00.000+07:00

I met a doctor whose name was "Coffin".

He must get so many jokes about his name, but I have to say that it would be pretty cool? scary?? to be treated by a Dr. Coffin...

stark flash photos reveal...

2008-04-03T08:26:00.001+07:00

I went to see a fancy chiropractor to see if they could help me with my lower backache.

She made me change into cotton shorts and halter-top, told me to stand in front of a white wall, and took numerous photos of me from different angles and in different postures with a digital camera.

Impressively, just by looking at the stark photos, she could show me where my skeletal structure was misaligned.

The photos also highlighted the lovely fat and total lack of definition on my body :p Yuck!

The therapist pointed to my slack belly 3 times in 3 different pictures, each time repeating, "This is a problem."

OK, I get it, I promised myself that I am going to exercise more!

...Oh, and start this deep-muscle massage therapy, of course (if I can afford it...).

BTW, the awful flash photos (one should never take flash photos of oneself...they are simply terrible) also revealed my eczema in its full, red glory. Wah!

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the despair of a taxi driver

2008-04-01T19:02:00.000+07:00

This morning's taxi driver seemed to be putting some thought into which route would be least jammed.

He was doing a fairly successful job (either that, or the roads were simply less crowded...it is summer break, after all), but upon turning one corner, we ran into a traffic jam.

The moment he saw the bumper-to-bumper cars, the driver threw his hand onto his head and let out a wail of despair.

I guess he really took it to heart :)

Fortunately, we got through in 2-3 minutes and the rest was smooth sailing, but I guess it must be a tough job to be a taxi driver in this city, having to crawl through traffic jams all the time.

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who are your distant relatives?

2008-03-26T09:23:00.000+07:00

This is pretty funny and amazing:

It has emerged that Barack Obama is a tenth cousin, once removed, of the man whose job he wants - George W Bush.

They are linked by Samuel Hinkley of Cape Cod, who died in 1662.

Mr Obama is also a distant cousin of the actor Brad Pitt while Hillary Clinton is related to Mr Pitt's girlfriend, Angelina Jolie.

Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/7313789.stm
Published: 2008/03/26 00:13:31 GMT

I can't imagine doing the same kind of lineage tracing for myself, at least not beyond 5 or 6 generations, and am a bit jealous of those families that can.

Well, perhaps I can look into this and see if there are any possibilities, even for families that come from peasant stock (and therefore had no last name)!

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the white temple

2008-03-24T21:42:00.004+07:00

Over the weekend, I visited Wat Rong Khun, a contemporary white temple near Chiang Rai.

This is the on-going creation of National Artist, K. Chalermchai Kositpipat, who has dedicated himself to building this temple since 1997.

The unique temple--or work of art, rather--is based on traditional Thai style combined with completely contemporary elements.

Somehow in my mind, calling this temple "a work of art" opens it up to greater praise and criticism than if it had been just a "regular" religious building, which would be somewhat shielded from criticism by virtue of its being built to fulfil a religious/spiritual reason.

In a way, as long as the religious purpose is fulfilled, it doesn't matter so much whether the building itself is beautiful or aesthetically pleasing, or simply in good taste.

I like the idea of an entirely white temple, and I can imagine that the little mirrors embedded in all the walls and sculptures would be quite beautiful in the sunlight.

The details that flood your senses no matter which way you turn are also fascinating.

Overall, if I had to say which, I would probably say that I liked the temple.

At the same time, though, I have to say that the temple has a bit of a Disneyland-feel to it...

...probably because of such not-so-subtle representations of hell and suffering in front of the temple :p

...I had no idea that white could be gaudy! :D

Anyway, my respects to K.Chalermchai for this labour of love! I'm sure many many people will love it :)

p.s. The guai tiao naam (soup noodles) at the eatery next to the temple were really yummy... Also highly recommended in this region are the sausages, sai ua.
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listening skills & singing

2008-03-17T19:02:00.005+07:00

I got invited to sing as one of the soloists in a Japanese choir concert, and we were all invited to the party afterwards.

As part of the entertainment, the soloists were invited to sing something. A, the Thai baritone, sang a very popular Japanese song--"Sen no ka-ze ni natte"*--in Japanese.

Remarkably, A, who doesn't speak any Japanese, apparently learned the words (or rather, the sounds of the words) by just listening to the CD, over and over and over and over again, and noting down the sounds in Thai script.

When he sang, I could understand every single word; his pronunciation was impeccable.

And, I may be biased, but I think he sounded better than the original!

Another Thai baritone friend once sang to me the song from Doraemon (an extremely popular children's cartoon from Japan), again in Japanese and without knowing what the words meant.

Being myself a person who cannot learn solely from ear, I find their "good ear" remarkable. I don't think I could do the same thing with a Thai song...

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* The original words of the song are a translation from an English poem, "Do not stand at my grave and weep", which starts off:

Do not stand at my grave and weep;
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
...

sabaai sabaai

2008-03-13T18:52:00.000+07:00

While riding taxis, I try to read signs in Thai (I figured it's a good time to practice), but of course I automatically notice the English ones as well.

The other day, I saw this interestingly-named clothing shop while stuck in traffic:

(Too bad you can't see it in the photo...)

Very Well Very Well Shop

Rather piqued by the curious name, I tried to read the Thai name, which turned out to be:

Sabai sabai

This is one of two famous phrases that even short-term visitors to Thailand learn (the other one being "mai pen rai" = "no problem!") and means something like "everything's good / ok".

I suppose the "sabai" might have been translated into "very well" from:

English	Thai
How are you?	Sabai dii mai?
I'm very well.	Sabai dii

Cute! :)

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unwelcome guest in the keyboard

2008-03-11T10:22:00.002+07:00

Holy crap, I have a baby cockroach in my computer keyboard!!!!!

Please please please please let the damn thing come out and leave...and how did it come to be there in the first place????

OMG, I can't work like this... :p

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pair of flip flops

2008-03-04T12:39:00.000+07:00

We went to Koh Chaang for the weekend, and had a lovely stay at a brand new resort.

At the door to our room were a cute pair of flip flops:

We were, however, amused that "her" sandals were bigger than "his".

Koh Chaang is lovely, but a tad bit far to drive from Bangkok, just for the sake of 2 nights...
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waiting to see the doctor

2008-02-28T12:18:00.001+07:00

I got an infection, so I went to a nearby hospital yesterday on my way to work, for (what I expected to be) a quick visit to the doctor and to get some antibiotics.

Length of visit with doctor: 3 minutes
Time it took to do the urine test: 5 minutes

Length of overall visit to hospital: 2.75 hours

You can do the math to figure out how much waiting around I had to do.

Needless to say, I was in a very pissy mood: I was in some discomfort from the infection; I was sleepy as hell (didn't sleep very well the night before); freezing cold (air-conditioners going full blast); bored; and desperately HUNGRY!

I felt so angry that I wanted to cry...

...so I went downstairs and got a sandwich, ate it, and felt much better :p

For the urine test, the doctor just gave me a plastic cup with a lid and said, "please get the urine test and come back". I couldn't figure out where I was supposed to go, until the nurse said "toilets are over there"; I got my own sample, didn't know what to do with it, covered it up with a paper towel and had to roam around aimlessly until another nurse pulled me over to the lab station where I could deposit the cup.

It didn't strike me as very hygienic, having patients roaming around with their urine samples...

You can get excellent healthcare in Thailand and "medical tourism" seems to be on the rise. Even this particular hospital had just recently opened a beautiful new building which apparently is aimed to capture those medical tourists.

Well, if they want to succeed, they had better start by improving their services and waiting time!

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arriving on a cancelled flight

2008-02-23T16:26:00.001+07:00

I went to pick up my parents a few nights ago at the airport. They were on a United Airlines flight scheduled to arrive at 11:55 pm.

Just before I left for the airport, I checked online to make sure their flight hadn't been delayed or anything, but instead, it seemed that the flight had been "cancelled"!!!

Flight			Departure		Arrival		Status
Flight	From	To	Scheduled	Actual	Scheduled	Actual	Status
UA 837	SAN	SFO	8:20 AM	8:16 AM	9:55 AM	10:38 AM	Landed 43min
UA 837	SFO	NRT	11:22 AM	11:31 AM	3:25 PM	3:24 PM	Landed Ontime
UA 837	NRT	BKK	6:45 PM		11:55 PM		Cancelled

Source: Flight Status

Totally panicked, since I hadn't heard a thing from my parents that there was any problem, I tried to check the United webpage, but it was having problems loading. Useless.

I tried then to call up some numbers at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, but the lines were either busy, or no one would pick up--presumably because it was after office hours and so no one was there.

In desperation, I even tried calling the US number for United, only to be told in a cheerful automated voice that:

"It looks like your flight has been cancelled. Say "repeat" if you want to hear it again!"

(Do they purposefully design these message to make customers want to strangle someone?)

Finally, I tried the Narita Airport's flight information page, and there was informed that the flight had already departed.

...What the ****...

In the end, optimist that I am, I decided that the Narita information must be correct and went to the airport as scheduled.

Luckily, my optimism paid off, as my parents did arrive on their flight exactly as had been scheduled.

I'd like to thank United for giving me (a faithful customer too, may I add) 15 min. of panic...

p.s. That wasn't all the excitement for the night: The taxi driver hit the highway at 160 km/h (100 mph)!! Of course there were no seatbelts in the back and I was terrified, but I did get to the airport in a record 20 min...
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irreverent cosmetics

2008-02-20T15:56:00.000+07:00

This is already a week ago, but a retailer in Singapore stopped selling a certain brand of cosmetics, following a complaint from the local Catholic church.

Hmm...I thought it would've been obvious that someone was going to complain sooner or later!

Contrary to my first thoughts that it would have to be an oblivious-anything-for-money Asian company to design and manufacture something like this, these products were in fact designed and manufactured by an American company, Blue Q .

This was the first time I'd heard of Blue Q, but upon browsing their website, was pleasantly surprised to see that it is a quirky company with a progressive philosophy (e.g., it is proactive in hiring people with disabilities), specializing in the manufacture of irreverently branded cosmetics. (I particularly liked the organization of the About Us page.)

Well, for the sake of world peace and stability, I do hope their next line of cosmetics is not going to be based on other major religious figures (who shall remain unnamed here...).

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consumer fraud??

2008-02-11T14:47:00.000+07:00

The pair of serrated scissors (the kind that gives you a nice jagged edge when you cut) that I bought at a nearby supermarket...

...turned out to be a regular pair of scissors.

Doesn't this count as some kind of fraud???

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please use a bag when you vomit

2008-02-05T16:55:00.000+07:00

One morning, I was surprised to see this sign hanging in my taxi:

I felt very sorry for the poor driver, if this is what he has to put up with...

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give me my stairs

2008-01-28T15:48:00.000+07:00

It's been over 2 weeks and somehow, they are still replacing the door to the main staircase on our floor.

We're up on the 10th and 11th floors of a building, and the staircase is a pretty basic link between the 2 floors. Its importance is not least due to the fact that I need to get to the small kitchen/canteen on the 11th floor.

Why do they need to block off 4 flights of stairs to replace the doors (why not just block the one that they're working on?), and why in the world it's taking over 2 weeks (that was the optimistically stated expected term of completion)?

And now they have blocked off the other emergency staircase at the farther end of the building, to replace those doors--what the hell are they thinking??

Hello, does this strike anyone as a fire hazard, a security risk???

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to go or not to go to dinner

2008-01-24T18:52:00.000+07:00

I was supposed to go to a New Year's get-together cum farewell cum welcome party with our Japanese staff and embassy people last night.

In the afternoon, Mr. H, a relatively senior-level officer whose office is several doors away from mine, stuck his head in my room, asking me about my cough.

I was rather touched by his kind concern.

Then he said, "Maybe you should excuse yourself from tonight's dinner."

I didn't quite know how to reply for a few seconds, as my muddled brain sought to sort and digest different thoughts in order to come to a logical, yet tactful, decision.

Honestly, I didn't really want to go to this work dinner in the first place, so any excuse to get out of it was most welcome.
On the other hand, the tiny Japanese duty-bound voice in my head was suggesting that--considering I had been running away from these dinners for most of last year--this was one that I should attend, especially since we were sending off our old embassy focal point and welcoming his replacement.
Or maybe the point was that my cough wasn't very welcome for a dinner, and I was just being politely asked to withdraw...

Score: Two to one.

I quickly thanked Mr. H for his kind concern, excused myself from dinner, and asked him to convey my regards to all :)

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tiger balming the cough

2008-01-21T23:58:00.000+07:00

I seem to have caught a cold, and the coughing was getting unbearable last night, so I decided to inhale some hot steam to ease some of the irritation.

It's a nice remedy:

Just boil a pot of water, take it off the stove (or pour into a basin, if you have one--I didn't, so just used the pot directly), use a towel to create a 'tent' over your head and pot, taking care not to burn yourself, and take deep breaths...

I droped a tiny dollop of Tiger Balm into the hot water, which made it even better.

I could feel even my sinuses clearing up, and the cool tinge of camphor soothing my tired throat...aaaaahhhh...

...But then, my eyes and the skin of my face started to sting, and so I had to stop my lovely treatment :(

Come to think of it, Tiger Balm does come with some warning about not getting it into one's eyes, and that it may not be for those with sensitive skin...guess I should've read instructions first!

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quest for a bigger voice?

2008-01-18T13:07:00.000+07:00

Despite great developments in the recent years, Western classical music still appeals to a niche audience in Thailand.

Opera, in particular, seems to be rather difficult for many Thais (not to mention westerners!) to appreciate.

In the modern day of MTV & fast, showy musicals, perhaps in a way opera is archaic...but for music this beautiful, emotions so deep and drama so over-the-top, give me archaic any day!

I digress.

What I wanted to say was that opera, despite being rather inaccessible to Thais, appears to catch their attention by at least one aspect: the loudness of the unamplified singers' voices.

"Her voice is so loud!" (said in tones of awe...) seems to be the compliment of choice, and I've heard that one voice teacher is popular, because "he has the biggest voice!"

For those of us striving to become more expressive and to develop better resonance (i.e., better projection), rather than focusing on creating a "big" voice, this is somewhat disheartening :p

But what the heck.

Anything that would make more people interested in opera is good...and if it's the size of the voice that pikes people's interest, maybe we should be using that as a marketing angle!

p.s. It is, however, worrisome if the quest for a bigger sound is hurting young singers to push and do unhealthy things with their voices. The limited number of good voice teachers in Thailand is certainly a cause for concern.

p.s.2. Photo is from the AMA Winter Journey camp 2008.

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happy 2008

2008-01-15T17:37:00.000+07:00

Happy (very belated) New Year!!!

I wanted to post the photo that I used for my Japanese New Year's cards, but the owner took it off the web for some reason, so I will refrain...so instead, I give you a picture of Agalin in the morning mist...

Just a quick post to say that I'm back from 3+ weeks of silence, which was spent in familial bliss (i.e., running after my 6-y.o. nephew) in Japan, as well as 1 week of musical paradise along the Mekong in northeastern Thailand.

Needless to say, I'm completely useless at work--my head's in long vacation mode.

My New Year's resolutions? Erm...eat healthier (already failing at this), exercise more, call my grandmothers more often :)

...Let me think about this again...

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thai election posters

2007-12-29T13:51:00.000+07:00

The Thai general elections were a week ago.

As a foreigner who knows very little about the various parties and can't read Thai, I was intrigued during the lead-up to the elections by the pictures on the posters.

Here are a couple that caught my eye:

Candidate number 13 had several variations on his posters (including one that seems a bit over-Photoshopped). Perhaps the bright colours (I'm all for bright colours) were meant to signal this candidate's youthful energy.

Another one with several variations of posters was candidate number 34, an attractive woman who seemed to approach this as a beauty pageant.

My Thai reading ability is quite minimal, so it's very possible that I misread it, but did her poster actually say "I'm not crazy"???

Then there was candidate number 9, whose staff somehow thought it would be a good idea to photoshop his suit into yellow.

It reminds me a bit of these paper dolls I used to have (well, not quite with this face), where I could attach paper clothes on their surface. (He also looks awfully like an old-fashioned Japanese stand-up comedian...)

My favourite, though, was this sweet guy:

Perhaps he was seeking to appeal to the academics in his gown, but he just looked so helpless and out of touch with the rough world of politics...or was I just being manipulated by this poster???

I wonder if any of these candidates won...

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the faces of evil

2007-12-18T10:18:00.000+07:00

Two faces caught my attention on the CNN International today.

First up is Mrs. Varsha Mahender Sabhnani, 45, who, along with her husband, has been convicted on charges of "forced labor, conspiracy, involuntary servitude, and harboring aliens."

The couple allegedly paid two Indonesian housekeepers $100 to $150 a month, and physically & psychologically abused them.

Isn't it amazing, she looks exactly like this famous person:

...Cruella de Vil, of The 101 Dalmatians's fame.

Second up is Jesse Timmendequas, 46, a convicted child rapist & murderer.

The crazed look in his eyes is so extreme, one would think it was an actor hamming it up...but it's the real thing.

Scary.

I have to say that I was impressed (and amused) that CNN managed to find and pick the most awful pictures you could imagine for these two. It really makes the reader dead set against them!

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massage on painkillers

2007-12-16T21:42:00.000+07:00

Man, what a week!:

Vientiane from early Sunday morning until late-night Monday, then a day of regular work on Tuesday, followed by Jakarta from early Wednesday morning til Saturday evening...

I'd been fantasizing about getting a massage for most of the week!

My neck & shoulders were so stiff by Sat. evening, that it was developing into a bad headache, so I took some painkillers to help me cope until my massage on Sunday.

While I was enjoying my massage, it suddenly occurred to me:

Does the fact that my sensation of pain is numbed impact at all on how I enjoy the massage?

...Well, in the end, the massage felt great and I could feel the difference when the painkiller's effect ran out, so that was an inane question :p

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a royal happy birthday

2007-12-05T19:28:00.000+07:00

Today is the Thai King's 80th birthday.

I turned on the TV to see what the celebrations are like, and found that every Thai channel was playing the exact same programme.

I don't even mean that each channel was covering the same event with their own cameras and reporters. It's literally one programme (perhaps the official one?) on all channels.

Quite amazing.

Eighty is an important landmark in anyone's life and it's understandable that the celebrations are huge, but I have to say that I felt a bit worried about the King--he had, after all, only gotten out of the hospital like a month ago. It must be pretty exhausting to be in grand public ceremonies for so many hours.

Well, I wish the King a very happy birthday and with many more to come! (Not least for the stability of the country...)

p.s. I was interested that the colour yellow still won out over the recently-popular pink :) (Pink is apparently the lucky colour for those born in the year of the rabbit?)

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hojotoho!

2007-12-02T23:58:00.000+07:00

Believe me, I'm fully aware that my voice is not made for Wagner and that I really shouldn't be doing this, but I was persuaded to be an emergency stand-in for one of the valkyries in Bangkok Opera's recent performance of Die Walküre.

And I must say that I had a great time!

How can it not be exciting to be on stage with top-notch singers, including Philip Joll--and even get thrown across the stage by him :)

And how could it be anything but fun to get to sing the Ride of the Valkyries?

From YouTube...this isn't us :)

...But at the end of the day, I'm happy that I'm done with my Wagnerian career :) Now I can sit back and appreciate the music.

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different people, different walks of life

2007-11-26T23:46:00.000+07:00

Working in the HIV/AIDS field means that I get to meet a wide variety of people, from remarkable young people and people living with HIV, to gay strippers and sex workers...

I find that there's a lot about my work that I can't talk much in detail with my parents and family.

Many of those that I've met from the marginalized segments of society are often also the most dedicated people that I've ever known, passionate about making a change in their communities.

Recently, I met a staff member of an NGO providing health and outreach services to drug users on the streets of Phnom Penh.

He told me he had been in gangs in the US, and that he had spent time in jail for crimes that seemed to involve violence.

Now, after having been unceremoniously deported from the US (many Cambodian refugees to the US from the Khmer Rouge period never got US citizenship, and are now being deported to Cambodia if they get into trouble), he had turned his life around and was doing much to change the lives of some of the most marginalized & disempowered people in the country.

His story was quite remarkable, but I have to confess that I was a bit scared! I'd never met someone who had done jail-time before...

I still find that there are times when I come face to face with my own prejudices.

And I had to remind myself to keep an open mind, that this person deserves great respect in that he had indeed faced a tough life, but had taken control and was making positive changes in the lives of others.

This "keeping an open mind" can sometimes be difficult, because it forces me to confront my (rather minimal) values.

On the other hand, I love that it always keeps me on my toes and prevents me from getting too comfortable :)

The youth who were working as peer educators for the NGO came to show their hip-hop dance moves:

---

Plus...
The most unbelievably god-awful remake of "I can't live without you" was playing in the banquet hall afterwards. It's a bit hard to hear, but I simply had to record it.

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cambodian sanitary pad recommendation

2007-11-23T13:54:00.000+07:00

I went to buy sanitary pads at my hotel in Phnom Penh, at one of those small kiosks that sell toiletries & snacks.

When I asked for maxi pads or sanitary napkins, the lady gave me a puzzled look, then turned to the male clerk to help.

Much to my embarrassment (call me a prude...), I had to try to explain in various ways what it was that I needed to both clerks--with the attention of the other 3 staff members and a small boy, who was staring at me from below--before we came to an understanding.

The lady then quickly pointed out one brand on the shelf, and cheerfully told me, "This brand, very good quality. I use it too."

I found it quite amusing to get a recommendation on sanitary pads from a (presumably) modest Cambodian lady, in the same manner she might recommend cosmetics, but am now wondering whether an American would think this odd at all...

Hmm...very mysterious...

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size counts???

2007-11-20T13:04:00.001+07:00

Quiz time: Of what kind of room is this picture below?

The answer is, it's the ladies' room in a huge hotel in Rayong.

My colleagues were so excited with its size, that several of them were breathlessly asking everyone, "Have you seen the bathroom?", "You have to go see the bathroom" and "It's *huge*!!"

You'd think this kind of huge rooms and washrooms were built for large banquets, and meetings/conferences. Oddly enough, though the latter didn't seem to be on the owner's mind. The hotel didn't even have a business center or photocopier, and was singularly not made to support any office function whatsoever.

No wonder it was empty...

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i survived the last 2 weeks

2007-11-15T13:12:00.000+07:00

Phew, am back from a particularly busy 2 weeks:

2 days work retreat in Jomtien
5 days solid training workshop in BKK
Final rehearsals & the performance of Mozart in Mischief (which went great by the way!!)
2 wedding receptions (I had to skip out on one...)
3 nights in Phnom Penh for a workshop

...All that, plus some personal things going on (don't ask) and a cold made it a rather crazy time.

Now I'm back, hopefully for some more relaxing times, but with a friend coming over to stay for a week and the possibility of being a (fairly quiet!) valkyrie, it might not be as quiet as I'd hoped.

Well, it's good to be busy, so no complaints :)

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nemo on ice

2007-11-02T19:28:00.000+07:00

Look who I found :)

It's Nemo!

Ice...water...fish...Nemo...who cares that Nemo's a tropical fish and would certainly not be too happy on ice, or that there's such a thing as copyright.

Anything goes in this part of the world! :)

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how to catch a mouse

2007-10-28T23:44:00.000+07:00

At an Egyptian restaurant on Nana:

I was enjoying a homey meal in the colourful, inexpensive restaurant, filled with Middle-Eastern men wearing white robes, when suddenly some disturbance seemed to erupt in one corner.

My friend's next words filled me with terror:

"It's a mouse."

Eeewwwwwwwww!!!!

To my horror, the mouse ran out and headed straight towards our table (or so it felt!), followed closely by a frantic waiter.

Before I could grasp what was going on, the waiter raised his foot high,

and stomped on the mouse.

Full force.

Splat.

Needless to say, my appetite was squashed along with the mouse...

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clouds from my window

2007-10-24T13:11:00.000+07:00

It's starting to feel like rainy season is *finally* coming to an end, and we are about to enter the best time of year: winter.

Some parting (I hope!) views of the storm clouds that have rolled past my office window this year...

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telephone in the bathroom

2007-10-22T14:35:00.000+07:00

You're in the bathroom stall, doing your business, and suddenly, your mobile phone rings. (Yes, of course you have it with you!)

Do you answer it?

It seems that my colleagues would, as I've encountered this several times in the ladies' room at our office.

Some people just answer to say "sorry, I'm in the bathroom, I'll call you back." (This happened in a movie theatre too, come to think of it...)

Others, like some lady today, happily chat away in their stalls.

Honestly, I don't know why they don't just hit mute on the ringer, finish their business, wash their hands and then call the person back.

Is that so difficult to do???

p.s. It might seem crazy to take one's phone to the bathroom, but actually, it could come in handy if you got stuck...

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precision japanese atms

2007-10-20T17:17:00.000+07:00

I read an account of some person who was trying to withdraw 15,000 yen from an ATM in Japan, and mistakenly took out 15 yen instead.

The sad image of two little coins worth about US$0.13 dropping out of the machine, instead of US$1,300, made me laugh, but more than that, I was amazed that the ATMs in Japan let you withdraw such minute amounts! In coins!!

Nevermind that I don't quite understand why anyone would ever need to withdraw such precise amounts. (If you need 1,749 yen, why not just take out 1,800 yen?)

Once again, I'm amazed by the highly-advanced technology in that country.

And yet, Japanese banks still charge you an extra fee if you access the ATMs outside of regular banking hours. Sometimes, technology and common sense don't seem to go together...

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drowned gecko :( :(

2007-10-13T16:09:00.000+07:00

I was taking a shower the other night, to suddenly realize that there was a baby gecko, drowning at my feet!!!

I jumped out as quickly as I could and stopped the water, but it was too late. The poor thing drowned :( :( :(

So sad...

I didn't have the energy to brace myself to dispose of the little corpse, so I went to bed that night, hoping against hope that the creature might revive while I slept.

Of course, no such luck.

The baby gecko now sleeps among the flower pots on my balcony...

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prescription heaven

2007-10-12T12:46:00.000+07:00

My atopic dermatitis is having another flare-up (although not quite as bad as last time...), so I went to see an allergy specialist. After discussing various possibilities, she had me take a skin "prick" test of 48 different natural substances.

All of them turned out negative.
I don't know if this is good news, or bad...

So, we're back to trying to at least bring the inflammation down under control with more meds.

I left the hospital with a shopping bag with 7 different medications, plus two liters of saline solution.

It's a well-known fact that Thai doctors love over-prescribing medicines to you (and, granted, two of those medicines weren't for my dermatitis), but it does seems a bit of an overkill...

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cooking is not my forte

2007-10-11T23:10:00.000+07:00

I've been eating out so much these days, that I was actually compelled to attempt a home-made meal for once.

The goal: Szechuan tofu...with which I've never failed.

Sad to say, the resulting meal was depressingly below my expectations.

After tossing in all the ingredients and letting the sauce simmer a bit, I took a little taste...

...only to almost spit it out!

It was awful. I was devastated :p

I blame it all on the old ingredients :D

p.s. When I actually ate it later, after having tossed out most of the sauce, it wasn't quite as bad. Thank goodness!

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the weight of 1 baht

2007-10-08T22:23:00.000+07:00

My taxi driver this morning was a woman.

This is rather unusual in Thailand, and very welcome, in my female opinion. Women drivers definitely make me feel safer.

She was very polite and quite an efficient (but safe) driver. Wanting to give her a tiny bit extra tip at the end, I asked her for 10 baht change.

She gave me back 9.

Hmmm...1 baht...I'm assuming that she genuinely miscounted, or she just didn't have enough small change... :)

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do it yourself

2007-10-02T16:59:00.000+07:00

I asked one of the secretaries at the office today, "I want to have the unused whiteboard moved into my room and hung there--do you think that's ok?"

Naturally, I wasn't asking her just for permission to do so. The underlying question was:

"Could you please arrange for the right people to come do that?"

But such subtle requests don't seem to register on T's radar screen. She most cheerfully replied,

"Just call extension 2000, and they'll do it for you :) "

...Hmm...I suppose I'm just spoiled by most other secretaries and programme assistants that I've worked with, who are incredibly fast to pick up on such distress signals from hopeless expats who don't speak the local language very well. Such local staff are amazingly resourceful and have saved me countless times.

I guess that's not T's game :)

I don't know, is this too much to ask?
(I'm 80% amused, 3% annoyed, 17% puzzled)
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cookie thief

2007-09-28T16:03:00.000+07:00

Someone took my cookies!!!

I just left a half-opened bag on the shelf in my office last night...and this morning, they were gone.

Oh my lovely cookies from It's Had to Be a Closet (yes, that's the name of a restaurant/bakery/clothing store, on Khaosan. Very cute)...and I was saving my favourite ones for last...but now, they're all gone...sniff...

Hmm, someone must've been pretty hungry last night.

The shock is too great, I think I have to go lie down...

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chiang mai donald (duck)

2007-09-27T13:13:00.000+07:00

Look who we ran into at Wat Bupparam in Chiang Mai!

Actually, we knew already that he was there from a guidebook picture, so the surprise value was not so high. I just had to go see it for myself :)

There was also a nice brown bear from the forest...

I love how anything goes in these Asian countries... :)

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wat to do in bkk & chiang mai

2007-09-24T12:05:00.000+07:00

I had my college friends visit me for the first time in Thailand. This is how much you can cover in just a few days:

2 days in BKK

Vimanmek Mansion. We were disappointed to learn that they don't do the traditional dance performances anymore though...
Jim Thompson's House
The supermarket on Ground Floor Paragon, we discovered, is a great place to get gifts (dried fruits, Thai snacks).
Pampering at a luxury spa. We tried Bangkok Oasis Spa; they can pick you up at Phrom Phong BTS station. The house is beautiful and service is nice. I don't remember the quality of the massage, though, b/c I completely fell asleep...

Trip to Ayutthaya & 20 min. elephant ride by the ruins, booked through Panda Tours, which unfortunately for most, is only available in Japanese. (Pic is from Wat Phra Mahatat.)
Suan Lum Night Bazaar, my fav place to shop for souvenirs, etc.
Eating, of course. We covered chicken rice (khao mun gai), Thai suki at MK, and northeastern (Isaan) food, and lots of coffee.

I sent my friend alone to do the Grand Palace (Wat Phra Kaeo), and we also caught the famous transvestite show at Calypso (which I thought was better than the show at Mambo).

2.5 Days in Chiang Mai
We took it a bit more easy in CM, but recommend the following:

Traditional massage at the Old Medicine Hospital (2 hrs, 250 baht).
Thai cooking classes at A Lot of Thai. We did a half-day course, B600. It was one of the best things to do in Chiang Mai!!
There are many temples, including Doi Suthep (a must-see). My fav was Wat U Mong, a quiet, lush forest temple (pic below).

Chiang Mai is famous for its Night Bazaar, so we did some (minimal!) browsing there.
A nice dinner cruise can be had at Riverside Bar & Restaurant. You can order what you like, and just for an extra B90/person, you can enjoy your meal while floating up & down the Ping River.

All in all, a very satisfying trip!

smiley soup

2007-09-04T20:56:00.000+07:00

Today's pumpkin soup:

(They used balsamic vinegar, I think...)

It's so simple and not particularly original, but somehow made me smile :)

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japan, the giant land of miniatures

2007-09-03T18:37:00.000+07:00

Some Japanese university students came to visit us, so I talked to them about our work and HIV/AIDS.

I've never given a presentation in Japanese before, so I was quite nervous, and I'm afraid I didn't make much sense :( It's quite a blow for my ego, as I pride myself in being fairly concise and reasonably effective as a presenter.

Anyway...it's always good to get more practice and to remember one's humility.

Afterwards, the group gave us a thank you gift, which turned out to be this:

A USB memory stick, the size of a paper clip and as thin as a piece of gum!

My colleague and I were so excited (never mind that I couldn't even figure out what it was at first and thought it was some SONY memory chip that required a specific reader or something...).

Only the Japanese would think of developing such a tiny thing....

Is it the culture? The environment? What is it about the Japanese developers that makes them obsessed with making things smaller and smaller?

Even I'm afraid of losing or breaking this little thing...

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madama butterfly: being japanese

2007-08-31T12:58:00.000+07:00

The story of Madama Butterfly (synopsis) is (unfortunately) timeless--in a nutshell, it's about a young girl who falls in love with and marries a foreign guy, who then leaves her to return to his own country where he marries a "proper" wife. The young girl is left destitute, and when she finds out of his treachery, is heartbroken and kills herself.

While this could easily be a story set in modern-day Thailand (although a modern-day girl is more likely to kill the guy than herself), this particular opera is set in Japan towards the end of the 19th century.

That means everyone, except for the foreign men, have to act like they are Japanese .

But what does it mean, to "act Japanese"???

For a lack of any good ideas, I've been bowing a lot and covering my mouth with my hand while pretending to giggle.

But this is really weird.

A Japanese person is pretending to be Japanese? I'm caricaturing myself...and that feels bizarre and silly.

I'm sure any opera has elements of stereotyping, which is probably more pronounced the farther the setting is from the composer/author.

But why would I want to promote the stereotype?

Guess I just have to go on stage with continued ambivalent feelings.

Final performance tonight!

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An interesting article that points out the errors, in terms of Japanese culture:

What were the errors of the original? The revised edition of Puccini's [Madama Butterfly]

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madama butterfly: day 1

2007-08-30T12:31:00.000+07:00

First night of Madama Butterfly went quite well--at least from the chorus point of view :)

We came in on the rights spots (more or less) and sang the right notes (more or less), and, thanks to some last-minute, focused acting guidance (which is something one would expect a director to normally provide, but unfortunately, he didn't) from our chorus master, managed to do a better job acting.

The difference between 20 static singers on stage and 20 engaged ones is huge.

And we help each other when we're all acting together.

As for the soloists, they were real professionals--beautiful voices, great acting & emoting, wonderful presence. My colleagues who came said that they all got sucked into the story and cried at the end :)

My only disappointment was that I couldn't slip into the audience to listen to the 2nd & 3rd acts properly. One is a bit conspicuous in a shiny (fake!) kimono, big hair-do and milk white face make-up.

It's a bit hard to fully appreciate the singing and drama from backstage, when we can't read the subtitles and the singers' voices come only through some awful speaker system.

Well, I'll figure something out on Friday.

One down, one more to go!
---

theatrical hissy fit :)

2007-08-27T23:58:00.000+07:00

We had our first run-through of Butterfly on the actual stage tonight, which is always both exciting and stressful.

After taking 1.5 hrs to get to rehearsal via motorcycle taxi, khlong boat, underground and foot, I was so hot and exhausted and in no mood to excuse hissy fits and rude outbursts from a certain quarter...

I guess the arts world comes with people who think it's part of some grand artistic expression to be as temperamental and abusive as they wish, but I do think it's unnecessary self-indulgence.

And I take great offense at someone yelling at the chorus for not doing something, when he hasn't even given us sufficient instructions on what to do.

Admittedly, we are not the most professional of choruses, but that's exactly the point: we are all amateurs, here to learn, who are putting our time and effort into this out of love.

Since I'm Japanese and don't like conflicts, I've done my best to keep my calm. When we met together in a group (with his idea of a pep-talk being a scolding for not knowing things well enough), I respectfully raised my hand to ask permission to speak, and veeeery politely started to ask,

"Can you give us some suggestions on..."

...only to be interrupted by an exasperated,

"I've given you suggestions already! You have to do your part and blah blah blah!!"

Unbelievable.

I had to cut him off to let me finish my question on a particular moment in the scene, which he most kindly answered--and it was helpful. But I don't know why we have to get abused each time we ask for clarification.

My friend P, with whom I've sang in several productions, commented that he's never seen me so riled up. Really, I'm usually easy-going :)

If it weren't for a sense of obligation to Somtow and all the others, I'm almost tempted to walk out, but, as the Thais say, "jai yen yen"--I just have to keep my cool for 2 more days and enjoy the rest of the show.

And remember not to get involved in productions with this guy again! :p

---
OK, end of gripe.

The soloists are amazing and I'm sure the show will make everyone weep, including me!

am back

2007-08-27T11:16:00.000+07:00

It's been a while! I'm back from 1 week in the UK for a singing camp and 4 days in Colombo, Sri Lanka, to attend the 8th International Congress on HIV/AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP8). Now, we're in the frantic final rehearsal stages for BK Opera's Madama Butterfly...and I'm facing another birthday.

Certainly enough to keep one occupied.

Will try to write more soon...

wobbly polar bear

2007-07-26T12:02:00.000+07:00

Let me share with you some computer-generated poetry...

bohemian food stamp
self-actualized fruit cake

uxorious eggplant
mouldy mating ritual

radioactive onlooker
vaporized eggplant

loyal roller coaster
childlike freight train

slow waif
rhetorical burglar

smelly cloud formation
wrinkled grain of sand

college-educated toothpick
wobbly polar bear

It seems to have stopped now, but these are all titles of a slew of spam messages that I got within a few days. Shifting the order around and trying to group them together in some non-random way seems to have stimulated an unused portion of my brain.

I even had to look up one word:

uxorious \uk-SOR-ee-us; ug-ZOR-\, adjective:
Excessively fond of or submissive to a wife.
(from Dictionary.com)

I always wished I could be a master of words, make them say things that are more than their literal face value and show off how beautiful they can be.

But then again, words are only tools and my problem is probably more of a matter of my unimaginative brain :p

---

surprise ticket!

2007-07-20T18:47:00.000+07:00

My friend S & I decided to go travelling, so we purchased our tickets together about a month ago.

A few days ago, I just happened to take a close look at my ticket. We have a layover in City D, and when I looked, it said:

S's ticket:
Arrive D: the 8th
Depart D: the 8th

My ticket:
Arrive D: the 8th
Depart D: the 9th

What the *&$&(!@#@!

I rushed to look again at the emails between us and the travel agent, to confirm that we did indeed start off with the same travel dates.

Somehow, in the middle of the correspondence when I had already reached the stage of not really thinking carefully (attributing the date change to the international date line...which we don't even cross :p), I saw that my one flight got switched.

S quickly called up the travel agent, who changed it immediately without a fuss (I somehow always expect a fuss...), so it looks like I won't be spending a solitary night in Dubai :)

...But good thing I checked!

---

die hard (frozen)

2007-07-10T18:46:00.000+07:00

I went to see Die Hard 4.0 :)

Thai movie theatres are notoriously cold, and so I--like a proper former girl scout--went prepared with the following gear:

long sleeved shirt, long pants
cardigan
pashmina shawl
socks

...At least, I thought I was prepared enough, but it turned out that I was no match for the theatre air-con: My poor friend had to borrow my shawl; my socks were too short; and I was drinking some cold soda, so in the end, yes, I was cold.

So much for preparation.

You know, if you pay B500 and go to the "Gold Class" or other luxury movie theatres, they even give you a blanket and (some places) socks.

The great mystery is: If they know it's cold, then why don't they just simply turn the air con down a bit??

As for the movie, it was the perfect action movie--fun, crazy, over-the-top action scenes, a simple story, smart-evil villain, ineffectual officials, and a charming (?) hero.

And no one seems to get killed very easily, no matter that they're being hit, kicked, thrown against a dumpster or down a stairwell or out a window or out of a fast-moving vehicle, or that they've been in an explosion or two or three.

The action and stunts were unbelievable and highly entertaining--it had me laughing the whole film (in a good way). Amazing what people can come up with!

This is what Hollywood films should be :)

---

holy teeth

2007-07-05T10:58:00.001+07:00

Thailand is a predominantly buddhist country, where monks are very highly regarded.

When it comes to the most holy of monks, it seems that even their belongings are greatly revered.

Wat Tham Pha Plong in Chiang Dao was the final teaching place of Looang Boo Sim Buddhacaro, a monk of the highest rank.

I can appreciate why after his death, the disciples wanted to display their respected abbott's personal possessions as a sign of reverence to his memory, but I didn't expect to see these:

His complete dentures.

I'd be rather mortified to have my false teeth on display after I die (and it seems to me a rather strange way for the disciples to show their respect to their master), but I suppose he didn't really have a say in this matter :)

Other items on display included things that one would expect, like his robe and begging bowl, as well as a set of 5 tweezers (what did he use them for, I wonder...), Swiss army knife, razor, and first aid kit that still had diarrhea tablets left in it.

---

aftermath of a squall

2007-07-03T13:50:00.001+07:00

It's rainy season in Thailand, so we get our daily dose of intense downpours, which cause instant traffic jams, floods and power outages around the city.

Last week, we had an especially intense storm with strong gusts of wind. Although it passed through our part of town in just 30 min., it plunged our office building into darkness for the first time in the 4 months I've been here.

I didn't realize exactly how strong the storm was until later on, when I passed by Din Daeng (yes, there was a traffic jam) and saw this billboard:

(I took this snapshot the next day)

Yikes!

Considering the likelihood of such strong storms hitting the city each year, one would think the city government would be a bit stricter in regulating such structures being built...

---

palace wild life

2007-06-28T17:06:00.000+07:00

Every morning, my commute takes me past the park-like Royal Palace、which is surrounded by a pleasant little moat and a low white wall with steel pikes.

A few days ago, as the taxi was zooming past the Palace, a black, slowly moving shape on the white wall caught my eye.

My first murky thought was:

Is that a monkey?!

Craning my neck and trying to focus my sleepy eyes, I realized that it was not a monkey.

It was
a huge lizard

...easily 1 meter long...

...kind of like this one (taken in the Philippines).

Seeing as how the guards didn't even bat an eye, it must be a regular inhabitant (pet???) of the Palace.

p.s. June 29
I saw it again this morning: it was taking a leisurely stroll along the moat. I guess it must belong to the Palace grounds.

---

condom dress

2007-06-22T16:43:00.000+07:00

This is so famous that it's hardly worth me writing about it, but it still amazes me each time, so here it goes:

Where in Bangkok do you get to be greeted by (rather eerie) mannekins dressed from head to toe in festive condom dresses?

Where else but Cabbages & Condoms, a restaurant run by the NGO Population and Community Development Association (PDA) and brainchild of the unique Senator Meechai Viravaidya? (Also see TIME Magazine's "60 Years of Asian Heroes", 2006)

The restaurant's name comes from the notion that condoms should be as common as cabbages in our lives, and the displays are all of condoms and related information/education materials.

It's quite a remarkable collection, which seems to be updated depending on the hot topics of the day.

The slogan for Cabbages & Condoms:

Our food is guaranteed not to cause pregnancy.

The ingenuity of K. Meechai blows me away each time!

---

lots of singing

2007-06-17T21:28:00.000+07:00

I've been in BKK for 3 months now, and have performed in:

Haydn Mass as alto solo
Recital for a friend's 60th birthday
Concert version of Dido & Aeneas as a chorus member and as 2nd Witch
A Medieval & Renaissance music evening programme

The last 2 were with the Orpheus Choir, a brainchild of the eclectic Somtow.

Regardless of what people say about Somtow, one has to admire his artist's spirit in forging ahead with his often crazy ideas. It certainly is one reason that some of us here are kept busy tackling some gorgeous pieces of music (although admittedly I wish we could spend a bit more time on each and have a better quality performance...).

Probably the sense of rivalry with Somtow has sparked others to put together alternative performing groups and shows, giving singers increased and various opportunities to perform.

It's quite a skewed view to focus on the negative and not acknowledge what this unique man has accomplished.

Aaanyway... Here's a clip that I've taken from Somtow's blog:

This last gig left me exhausted--perhaps partly due to suffocation caused by a heavy-duty polyester costume and a ruff, plus never feeling wholy secure with all the pieces.

Early music, while gorgeous, isn't really my cup of tea.

So! I'm happy for a little break and am looking forward to the next event. Hopefully, it won't involve polyester & elastic ruffs around my neck, nor require last-minute cramming of music...

---

sea of orange

2007-06-16T15:38:00.000+07:00

Seeing monks in the orange robes is pretty common in Thailand, but it's not often that one sees a whole sea of orange coming towards you in the middle of town.

It's quite an imposing sight.

(Imposing enough for me to scoot to the side of the road and pull out my mobile phone to take a snapshot.)

They must've been going to the Buddhism convention that was being held at the convention center next to my office...

---

another pc 2nd life

2007-06-07T15:38:00.002+07:00

A new use for an old PC monitor: use it as a plant pot!

I heard that there's a popular PC/online game called "Second Life", but this is another PC's second life...

---

night of the wild tuk tuk

2007-05-27T23:21:00.000+07:00

I got a very nice lamp for the living room at the Night Bazaar!

Unfortunately, it wouldn't fit into a taxi, so MK and I had to take a tuk tuk...thus embarking on a authentic Bangkok-style, hair-raising spin about town.

First, the charming, gung-ho driver, "Kay", demanded an exorbitant fee and refused to negotiate. I was about to try to find another tuk tuk, but when I turned around, he had already picked up my lamp and was walking away. I--perhaps foolishly--gave in.

We discovered quickly that Kay was an insanely fearless driver, who had no sense of his own mortality. He spun the tuk tuk between cars & buses, changing lanes like mad and cutting across the lanes perpendicularly when traffic was standing still.

We were going so fast that we were passing taxis and regular cars left & right, our hair flying all over the place.

MK and I had to laugh because the situation was so absurd, but kept our grip firmly on the tuk tuk handles.

At some point, I believe he was hooting, for reasons known only to Kay...

Thankfully, we got home in record time, alive & well and without any near-misses.

As we slid off the tuk tuk with a sigh of relief, Kay flashed a dazzling smile and shook our hands saying, "tip, tip"! We just laughed, said thank you and paid him his asking price.

This city is so crazy :D :D

I'm glad I was with MK--she's so laid back and we were both highly amused by the escapade! (We both had itchy noses & throats too...)

Lessons learned (long-suspected, but confirmed once again by this trip):

Avoid those taxis and tuk tuks that are standing around, waiting for customers especially near tourist-prone spots. They tend to be looking for a quick buck, by charging ridiculous fees. You're much better off stopping a passing taxi/tuk tuk, or going to a designated taxi/tuk tuk stand.
If the driver insists on some ridiculous price, don't get into the taxi/tuk tuk. Just patiently keep trying other drivers; eventually, you'll probably find someone with a conscience :)

---

farting prohibited

2007-05-25T09:03:00.000+07:00

A charming sticker on a taxi seat:

I'm sure the driver was serious about this!

(But I would hope it applies to the driver too...)

---

stairs as artwork

2007-05-21T14:34:00.000+07:00

At the temporary apartment I was staying in last month, I made an effort to walk up the 7 flights of stairs for the sake of getting some exercise.

But these stairs...

...were rather uneven.

Going down was too scary and I always took the elevator.

My friend's comment on this photo: "Is this a piece of artwork?"

Huh, it might be better as artwork than real stairs.

---

motion sick earthquake

2007-05-17T10:41:00.000+07:00

There was an earthquake in Bangkok yesterday!

It's one of the last things I expect here, so at first I thought I was just having a dizzy spell. Then I noticed that the door of my office was swinging gently on its hinges and realized it was a real earthquake. Surprise!

We're up on the 10th floor of our building, so the tremors were amplified as the building slowly swayed from side to side.

After a few seconds, I started getting rather nauseous from the movement...

Thank goodness it wasn't any stronger--I don't have much faith in the strength of this building.

refugee in a bottle

2007-05-11T22:41:00.000+07:00

The other day, I reached for an empty Coke bottle that I had left next to the kitchen sink to rinse it out, and discovered that it had a little occupant...

A gecko!

I don't mind geckos because they eat bugs, but it did freak me out a sec to see this amphibious (or is it a reptile...) -looking creature staring out at me through the glass.

Fortunately, it was still alive.

When I tipped the bottle over (after taking some flash photos, of course!), the creature scuttled out as fast as it could and disappeared into some darker crevice.

It seems to have learned its lesson, though--I still keep bottles out by the sink, but no geckos have wandered back in again :)

---

VisualDNA

2007-04-27T20:08:00.001+07:00

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

absentee

2007-04-18T08:57:00.000+07:00

I just wanted to say that I'm still alive & well, despite a lull in the blog. Something unexpected has come up and it's been hard to find the time to work on this.

Ah life! It throws the most surprising things in your way when you least expect it...

non-ID photo

2007-04-02T20:20:00.000+07:00

I went to get my ID photo taken at a place that charged just 150 baht (about US$4) for a set of 12 photos.

After they took a photo with a digital camera of me sitting in front of a blue screen, the shop attendant asked, "Do you want white background or blue?"

Idiot that I am, I unthinkingly answered, "white".

30 minutes later, I picked up the strangest set of photos.

If I had given this a tiny bit of thought, I would've known that to they would use Photoshop or something to select the blue area, then fill it in with white.

As a result, there's an unnaturally distinct line where my hair ends and the background starts. I look like I had been pasted in.

The shape of my head is rather odd, too.

That's not all.

I forgot I was wearing a white t-shirt, so with the white background, my body has virtually disappeared.

Oh, and did I mention that they erased all my birthmarks and brightened up my face?

The overall effect: I look like a ghost.

This really doesn't serve the purpose of an ID photo at all...

---

elephant field

2007-03-30T22:51:00.000+07:00

Spotted in the middle of Bangkok:

(click photo for a slightly closer view)

A life-sized elephant model (or is it a stuffed elephant???) in a construction field.

Yeah, makes total sense.

---

heart-attack toast

2007-03-28T22:56:00.000+07:00

I wanted a light lunch, and the toast set at Bread Talk--with promises of 2 slices of toast, tea and 2 soft-boiled eggs--sounded perfect.

First the tea arrived, with a more-than-healthy dollop of condensed milk. It wasn't quite what I wanted (I like my tea straight, no sugar or milk)...but fine, I could handle it.

Then came the toast, in the form of a jam and cheese sandwich. The combination seemed a bit unusual, but OK, I was willing to give it a try.

I took a big bite, only to realize that what I thought was cheese was in fact very thick slabs of butter. Ack!!!

Suppressing my gag reflex, I tried to wash the greasy, salty-sweet mass down with my tea--which didn't work so well, considering the cup of tea was loaded with what seemed to me like a pound and a half of milk fat and sugar.

Finally, the soft-boiled eggs arrived, and they were not kidding when they said "soft": the eggs were virtually raw. Raw eggs don't bother me too much (although the idea of salmonella did cross my mind...), but it did make it pretty hopeless to try to eat only the egg whites.

God knows who actually likes this stuff! No wonder the place was virtually empty.

It kills me to think I paid 90 baht to shorten my own life...

---

barbie boy

2007-03-27T13:05:00.000+07:00

A well-known make-up line was doing a campaign at Central Department Store.

Their concept: Barbie.

The colour scheme is (surprise surprise) heavy on pink and personally, I find it rather scary-looking, but anyway, they had a model in a sexy/cute pink lacy negligee-like dress, standing on a pedestal displaying her perfect legs, to call proper attention to the campaign.

A bit awestruck by a woman who was not shy about displaying herself, I took a glimpse at her face.

...and realized it was a man (formerly?).

I love that in Bangkok, men-turned-women aren't just hidden away in someone's dark closet.

However, it does puzzle me why public display of sexiness is not ok for women, but that taboo doesn't seem to apply for men-who-are-women.

The standard should be the same for both!
(Personally, I lean a bit towards conservative on public displays of sexiness...)

---

post-concert reflection

2007-03-24T21:05:00.000+07:00

I had a really good time tonight, singing the mezzo solo with BMS's performance of Haydn's Theresienmesse.

I wonder, though, if I should be bothered that I got more comments/compliments on my skirt than on the singing... :p

polite taxi drivers!

2007-03-21T20:59:00.000+07:00

My life of taxi commuting has started. It's not something that I particularly like, but I shouldn't complain. It is, after all, quite a luxury.

This happens in Manila as well, but sometimes, you get drivers who decide they will stop by the gas station and fill up the tank--but who don't seem to think anything of the fact that the meter's still running.

This did happen the other day, but I was surprised and impressed that the driver:

(a) Asked for my permission; and
(b) Actually waited for my answer.

And, when I got out at my destination and said "thank you," he responded politely with (what I believe is something like) "my pleasure, miss/ma'am".

Little things like this can having a surprisingly positive effect on one's morning :)

---

hot mobile???

2007-03-19T20:55:00.000+07:00

After 4.5 years using my last mobile, I finally got up the nerve to get a new one :)

Being in BKK, where else would I go but to MBK, where seemingly hundreds of small mobile phone shops are packed together on one floor.

The choice of where you end up buying seems to be a matter of pure luck.

I managed to find the mobile I wanted second-hand, for about US$60 less than new.

As I was playing around with my newly-acquired toy, I discovered that the address book was filled with the names (but in Thai, so I couldn't read it anyway) and phone numbers from the previous owner.

Suddenly, it freaked me out:

Had this phone been stolen from someone?????

Call me naive, but since I had my first phone stolen, this idea rather disturbed me.

But don't worry, after a few hours, I succeeded in convincing myself that it's unlikely that this phone came straight from someone's pocket: it did after all come with a box, instruction booklets, CD-ROM, charger and USB cable...

===
Speaking of stolen mobiles, I was reminded of a shocking event: A lady I know recently lost her mobile somewhere between Tokyo and Hiroshima, and actually recovered it 2 days later. Unbelievable.

And the Japanese think of this as normal. Ha!
---

early mornings

2007-03-17T12:26:00.000+07:00

Official working hours at my office is 7:30 am to 3:30 pm.

Way too early for a nightowl like myself.

Apparently, there's flextime that I could take advantage of and start the day at 9 am, but the (for me!) unfortunate fact is that my immediate supervisor comes to the office between 7-7:30 am, thus making it difficult for me to start later than 8 am :(

Well, we'll see how long I can last like this!
It would be ok as long as I can leave the office early, by 4:30...but that's not likely to happen...
---

taxi navigator

2007-03-12T21:04:00.000+07:00

I'm back in the Big Mango!

From the airport to the hotel, I took a taxi. After telling the driver my destination and once the car was moving, the driver pulled out some list of hotels, handed it to me, and told me to check the street address of the hotel.

I guess it's not like I'm not doing anything important; I might as well be useful.

One small catch, though.

The addresses were all written in Thai script.

Fortunately (?), I can read a little bit of Thai if I know what it says, so I could identify the particular street and the number was in Roman numerals. Phew!
---

imitation jackpot

2007-03-07T20:23:00.000+07:00

One thing I love about online shopping in Japan is that we can make the payments via ATMs at 24-hr convenience stores.

There is, however, a small drawback: The ATMs only take bills.

The other day I found myself having to deposit 3,025 yen

...using only 1,000-yen bills...

...thus landing a 975 yen's worth of change...

...all in heavy coins...

...which almost burst my wallet :p
(Think: George in an episode from Seinfeld, his wallet stuffed to over capacity & exploding)

Then again, this is nothing compared to the time I paid for a 17-peso train ticket in Manila with a 100 peso bill, and hit the jackpot with the change coming out in 1-peso and 0.50-peso coins.

p.s. I'm neglecting this blog shamefully as of late, but I blame it on having to get ready for my move back to the Big Mango :p

---

doll's festival

2007-03-04T08:10:00.000+07:00

I'm posting this at least a week after the date, but what the hell :p
---

It's been 10 years since the last time I was at home in March and was able to celebrate Doll's Festival, also known as Girls' Day, on the 3rd.

Despite the fact that I'm quite past the age of girlhood, my mother still puts out all the dolls that my grandfather bought for me as a baby.

The complete set includes 15 dolls: emperor & empress, 3 ladies in waiting, 2 ministers, 5 musicians and 3 servants (or something...).

All have pale white faces, thin eyes, unfathomable expressions.

I used to be terrified of having to pass them when I had to go to the toilet at night, and always ran past them, trying not to make any eye contact.

Now, looking at them with adult eyes (i.e., a little less easily spooked!), I'm struck by their beauty.

Such rich and detailed costumes, such lovely tiny little tools and props made for their delicate little earthen hands and fingers (that I get to set up hehehe)...

I found myself gazing at them in fascination, with a surge of love.

And I vowed to take care of them as long as I live.

Well, I'll think of them every year as my mother continues to take care of them :p

Incidentally, it's said that if you keep the dolls out past March 3rd, the girl won't be able to get married. Thank you, Mom, for still not giving up on me and rushing to put the dolls away on the 4th...
---

human rights, bad for health

2007-02-26T20:50:00.000+07:00

Human rights are important, but excessive insistence upon them may be unhealthy.
(Japanese Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Bunmei IBUKI, translation mine...actually, he said "may cause a kind of 'human rights' metabolic syndrome")

Er...Mr. Minister, may I point out that, by definition, it's not possible to distinguish when human rights may be important and when they may be ignored.

All human rights are universal, indivisible and interdependent and interrelated.
(Vienna Declaration & Programme of Action, World Conference on Human Rights, 1993)

...The idea being that some dictator can't just say, "OK, for the development of our nation, we can ignore some human rights."

Of course, quite a few people--including Minister Ibuki--are concerned that too many individuals insisting on their personal rights may be disruptive, unproductive, a counter to the common good.

But that's just a misunderstanding.

Rights come together with duties, responsibilities.

I have the right to speak my mind.

But so does everyone else.

So everyone has to respect my right to say what I believe, but I also am responsible to respect others' right to share their opinion.

I believe that people who are fully aware of their human rights are also those who understand their responsibilities as protectors of human rights.

And I think it's mighty sad that the Minister of Education, of all people, has such a misinformed understanding of human rights.

Isn't it his job to make sure that Japanese people have a better understanding of human rights? They are, after all, the basis of our Constitution!

---

pondering paper panties

2007-02-20T22:42:00.000+07:00

When I went to get a massage in Bangkok, the spa handed me disposable panties and told me to put them on.

Like an idiot, I stood there in the dressing room, pondering the pair for at least 7 minutes, trying to determine which end was front and which was back.

My final conclusion: the thin strip must be the back (I recalled some oil massages I had in the Philippines, where they did my butt as well).

But come to think of it, what the hell was the point of changing into these disposable panties? Thai massages are done without oil and fully clothed...

---

personal hygiene in the kitchen

2007-02-20T21:22:00.000+07:00

Dear Miss Etiquette,

I went into the kitchen at the office where I've been volunteering once a week to discover a bottle of men's facial srub, propped up next to the sink.

I found it the oddest thing that someone would be washing their face in the common kitchen sink--especially since the bathroom is right next door--but am now wondering whether it's only Japanese who would find this weird???

From, Culturally Confused

---

school ghosts

2007-02-17T20:49:00.000+07:00

Had lunch today with a couple of friends from elementary school. Never mind that we're over 30 and most have kids--we all act pretty much the same as we did when we were 12 years old :)

While savoring feelings of nostalgia, I came across an online article about a 1954 rape & murder of a 2nd-grade girl that took place in our elementary school's bathroom.

Oh.my.god.

Are you telling me that those ghost stories about a girl's voice and blood on the mirrors in that bathroom by the main entrance were based on an actual murder?????

Yikes.

...20+ years since I graduated and now I'm getting chills down my spine :p

Did everyone else already know about this???

Incidentally, due to the dwindling number of children, our beloved elementary school was closed down in 1998. So I lost my only Japanese alma mater...although the building was kept as it was.

Photo by Kouhei Nomura

But now, the city is apparently about to tear it down.

It doesn't directly bear on my present life, but it still makes me sad...

---

odd subtitles

2007-02-08T20:43:00.000+07:00

Finally saw The Departed.

Since gangster & crime movies always confuse me, I read along the Japanese subtitles as an extra aid, to try to keep up.

The translator did an impressive job, considering this was a tough, jargon/slang-filled script, but at one point, Jack Nicholson says:

"There it is."

which somehow got translated into:

"There's Liz."

Huh? Who's Liz??

T laughed when I told her afterwards, but then she said she saw a gruesome WWI movie once, in which:

"Duck!!!"

had been translated as:

"There's a duck!!"

...Well, I suppose as long as it didn't detract from the movie, it's ok... But it kind of makes me wonder about all those films I've seen in foreign langauges+subtitles!

BTW, The Departed was good (although I'm not sure why the hype). Leonardo DiCaprio was especially impressive (he finally looked like a grown-up man!) and Jack Nicholson was perfect as the sleaze-ball Costello...but it did feel like the movie was missing a scene or two (hello, the envelope?).

Now, I'll have to see the original Hong Kong movie, Infernal Affairs :) (...esp. since Tony Leung Chiu-Wai is so cute!)

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